Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction

Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction

Programs in Curriculum and Instruction prepare students to complete advanced degrees by addressing critical issues in learning, teaching, and curriculum, from local to global levels.

The Master of Arts candidate completes graduate courses both in education and in a content field (i.e., history, English, mathematics). This provides the candidate an opportunity to gain advanced knowledge in education as well as a content specific area. There are three options for completing the Master of Arts degree: thesis, project, and examination. The thesis and project options each require a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours, culminating in successful defense of a thesis or project. The examination option requires a minimum of 36 graduate credit hours, culminating in successful completion of a comprehensive examination.

Students who select the thesis or project options must complete at least 20 of the credit hours in regular course work, as contrasted with independent study and similar enrollments.  Students who select the examination option must complete at least 26 credit hours in regular course work, as contrasted with independent study and similar enrollments.

Graduate Admission to the School of Education

Graduate programs in education are open to students with acceptable baccalaureate and graduate degrees, whose academic records indicate that they can do successful work at the graduate level. Regular admission requires a grade-point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in prior degrees.  Individual departments may require additional information and may have more stringent admission requirements.

Some departments may offer special provisional admission categories to students who may not qualify under regular admission criteria. Departments that offer provisional admission require a grade-point average of at least 2.5. Applicants must provide evidence of ability to work successfully at the graduate level, including experience in and commitment to the profession. Exceptions to established policies must be sought individually by petition to the Graduate Division of the School of Education.

See Admission in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog for more information.

Each department in the School of Education sets its own application deadlines.  Prospective graduate students should contact their departments for application deadlines.  For graduate admission information in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching, please visit our website.

Graduate Admission to the Department of Curriculum and Teaching

In addition to general requirements for admission to graduate study in the School of Education, master’s degree programs in Curriculum and Instruction require completion of an appropriate undergraduate program and, in some instances, a teaching license. Materials describing all Curriculum and Instruction programs may be obtained from the department.

Deadlines for the master’s application (domestic) are March 15 for summer or fall admission, July 1 for fall admission, and October 1 for spring admission. Deadlines for the master’s application (international) are March 15 for summer or fall admission and October 1 for spring admission. 

Admission to the Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction Program (Domestic Applicants)

The following materials must be submitted:

• A completed graduate application.
• 1 official transcript of all college records with at least a 3.0 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.
• 3 letters of recommendation. Each letter should be attached to the online recommendation form when it is submitted.
• A statement of career goals.
• A vita or résumé.

Admission to the Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction Program (International Applicants)

The following materials must be submitted:

• A completed International Student online graduate application.
• 2 official transcripts of all undergraduate credit including degree conferral (1 in the original language and 1 in English translation) with at least a 3.0 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. Applicants who graduated from a college or university in China must also include official Chinese and English versions of their diplomas and certificates.)
• 3 letters of recommendation. Each letter should be attached to the online recommendation form when it is submitted.
• A statement of career goals.
• A vita or résumé.
• A statement of account balance from the applicant's sponsor's bank. This statement must be on bank stationery. There must also be a letter of support from his/her sponsor if the bank statement is not in the applicant's name.
• For students whose first language is not English, official scores on the TOEFL of at least 92 total (IBT) with subscale scores of at least 23 in all areas must be submitted for consideration of admission to the Curriculum and Teaching Department. The IELTS official score is also accepted, with an overall score of at least 7.0, and no section score lower than 7.0. The PTE Academic official score is also accepted, with an overall score of at least 65. The TOEFL, IELTS or PTE scores must be achieved not more than two years prior to the semester of first enrollment. TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores may not be required if applicant meets the verification of English proficiency requirements as specified below:

  Graduation with a baccalaureate degree (or higher) earned in residence from an accredited English-medium U.S. college or university, or a college or university in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, English-speaking province of Canada, or an English-speaking Caribbean country, with instruction conducted in English. Degrees earned online may not be used to verify English proficiency.

Please note: Meeting minimum admission standards does not guarantee admission to the program.

Once the graduate application has been submitted online, send any application materials that cannot be uploaded with the online application to the department:

The University of Kansas
Department of Curriculum and Teaching
Joseph R. Pearson Hall
1122 W. Campus Road, Room 321
Lawrence, KS 66045-3101

Contact us: ctdepartment@ku.edu